Thursday, January 21, 2016

Chinese New Year Yee Sang Banquet @ Vistana Hotel Penang.

For a little over 2 weeks Vistana Hotel Penang will be laying on a festive feast to celebrate the auspicious Chinese New Year. Hailed from Hong Kong, Executive Chef- Chef Ng of YTL Hotels designed the menu in such way that it incorporates ingredients that promote health and wealth but most importantly, affordable to many. With more than 60 years of experience in the industry, Chef Ng leads the team with passion and together with the team behind Vistana Hotels; they develop the Chinese New Year Banquet Cuisine. The Chinese New Year Banquet menu will be available from 18 January to 22 February 2016. Below is a tasting menu specially crafted for the media, priced around Rm 688++.

Verdict: Though they did not surprise us in terms of taste, none of the dishes disappoint. Their strength lies in the hands of Halal Certificate, in which companies may consider the hotel as one of the options for the company's Year End Treat.

Many Thanks to Vistana Hotel Penang for hosting us that evening.

There are 3 standard menus available. Alternatively, one may opt to customize the menu by handpicking the available dishes (kindly contact the Sales Manager for more information).

A quintessential way to kick start the year is to toss a plate of Yee Sang, Vistana Hotel Penang's is quite standard. Salmon was not thickly cut but was there to show the presence only. Everything was standard but nothing was there to surprise us. The second course that comes along that evening was tasty though; it was a good replacement to the conventional Shark's Fin Soup. The Pumpkin provided a golden hue to the soup and a mellow fruity-sweet note, together with the chewy-resilient Shrimps, it was a good start to the ensuing feast.

Steamed Red Lion (Red Snapper) with Superior Soya Sauce

Roasted Chicken with Mushroom Gravy

Deep Fried Crispy Prawns with Yellow Beans and Mayo

Steamed Red Snapper was the third course, the fish was fresh and most succulent while the size/ weight was most appropriate but we thought the Superior Soy Sauce was somewhat too diluted and watery to our liking. It lacked the sleek sweetness that underlines the entire dish. Roasted Chicken on the other hand, received glorious compliments from the diners. Not only that the Chicken was expertly-cooked, the gravy was at its right thickness just to cling onto it and provided the necessary flavor. Deep Fried Crispy Prawns were okay, though a tad too greasy to our liking; it was a joy to eat on the bursty-juicy devained and deshelled Prawns.

Braised Garden Vegetables with Assorted Mushrooms

Wok Fried Rice with Anchovies and Chicken

Glutinous Rice Balls in Ginger Soup

Assuage the guilt by having some Greens, the Mushrooms were pretty standard-satisfactory but we were glad that the dish was served to us piping hot. Fried Rice was the tummy-filling dish, beautifully topped with a generous amount of crispy, deep fried Anchovies. Rice was carefully seasoned to the right dot and with the nutty-crispy Anchovies, the Rice can be dangerously addictive and pose a potential threat to your diet plan. We ended the meal with a sweet note by having Glutinous Rice Balls in Ginger Soup, not ordinary Glutinous Rice Balls but those with Sesame-Paste filling. It was sweet on its own but even more delectable with Ginger-infused sweet Soup.